The next-generation Inouye Solar Telescope in Hawaii has officially started operating. The telescope had an opening celebration at the end of August, and the National Solar Observatory research institute celebrated the event this week by releasing two stunning Inouye images of our host star.
NSO calls Inouye the world’s most powerful Solar telescope, capable of observing the Sun in extremely detail. “A new era begins in solar physics,” said Matt Mountain, president of the Association of Astronomical Research Universities (AURA).
One of the images (image above) resembling a close-up of a shaggy rug or the curly fur of an animal shows the Sun’s atmosphere above the surface, known as the chromosphere. The image covers an area of 82,500 kilometers wide.
Inouye aims to give us a new, deeper insight into our star. “The insights obtained will change how our nation and planet predict and prepare for events like Solar storms,” said Sethuraman Panchanathan, director of the US National Science Foundation, which funds the telescope.
A second image (image above), taken on June 3, shows the surface of the Sun. Although this image has a more ordered view from the chromosphere, it looks equally wild and bizarre.
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